The present invention relates to an improvement in document handling devices whereby documents of two widths may be accurately guided into position sensitive apparatus. More specifically, the present invention relates to a highly simplified device providing a document conveying channel which is subdivided by a movable wall permitting passage of wider documents and acting to guide narrower documents.
There are an increasing number of applications in which documents of different widths must be handled by various types of data processing apparatus and in which the apparatus either prints or otherwise places data on the documents or reads data from the documents. It is often desirable to have a single machine handle various documents including those of varying widths. An example of such a use is in parimutuel betting machine wherein hand marked betting requests are normally of a wider width than the printed tickets showing the bets actually placed. Alignment of both documents is critical within the data processing apparatus. Yet it is desirable to use the same apparatus to process documents of both widths.
This problem has been recognized in the patented art in U.S. Pat. No. 4,098,458, issued July 4, 1978, to Richard J. Auchinleck of Peripheral Dynamics, Inc., of Norristown, Pennsylvania. The device of this patent provides a variable width channel by virtue of a rotatable cylindrical member which fits within a cylindrical socket adjacent the conveyor channel which in various rotational positions about its principal axis provides an edge guide wall of different fixed spacing from the other fixed guide wall. Of course, this device must be positioned by some sort of positioning means which senses the width of the document to be introduced, for example, and then turns the movable wall defining means to proper position to present a channel of desired width to accept the document. In addition to the complication of sensing and repositioning of the wall, the system offers the possibility of component failure which may render the device inoperable. In other respects, however, the device is apparently capable of performing well and achieving its desired purpose. Alternative wall means are provided in the structures of FIGS. 4, 5, and 6 which involve several variations on how the wall is formed, but, with the continued problem of supplying some kind of drive to move the wall into an alternative position.